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Insecta: Thrift store clothes and unused fabrics are turned into vegan shoes

Last updated: Dec 28, 2023

Summary

Insecta is a Brazilian company that manufactures vegan and environmentally friendly shoes. This company has developed a way to make shoe production and manufacture more sustainable, and to bring a new life into thrift store garments that are waiting for a new use.

Problem

400 billion square meters of fabric are disposed of in landfills annually. In contrast, shoe manufacturing is an expensive and resource-intensive process.

Solution

The composition of the shoes is as follows: the sole is made with recycled rubber, the local supplier that uses the leftovers from its own production prevents more material from going to waste and reduces the use of virgin raw material. The insole is all made with leftover fabrics from the production itself or from old Insectas that came back from reverse logistics, and the supplier is also local. The upper part can be made from thrift store clothing, recycled PET bottle, recycled cotton or reuse fabric.